Boat-releasing device.



PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

H! G. OLIVER. BOAT RELEASING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED 1330.15, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

IN V5 N TOR WITNZ'SSES 1 Varr G. 0/2267 A TTORNEVS No. 845,477..PATENTBD maze, 1907.

H. G. 0LIVER.

BOAT RELEASING DEVICE.

APPLIOATIOK FILED DEG-16! 1905.

2 SEEBT8SHBET 2.

721 "mu Z d IIWEN TOR I i} I 0/19.??- I A TTORNEYS HARRY G. OLIVER, OFNEW YORK, N Y.

BOAT-RELE'ASING D EVICE.

Specification of *Letters Patent.

-Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed December 15, 1905. Serial No. 291,860-

To all whom it may concern:

l .Be it known that I, HARRYG. OLIVER,L citizen of the United States,and residing at l\ew York, in the county of New York and State of l\ewXork, have invented certain new and useful improvements inBoat-Releasing Devices, of which the following is a specification, suchas will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

'lhis invention relates to boat-releasing devices for use in lowering alife-boat or other boat from a steamer'or other vessel at sea; and theobject thereof is to provide improved devices of this class which are soconstructed as to release both ends of the boat at the same time, so asto prevent the serious and sometimes fatal accidents which frequentlyoccur by reason of one end of the boat being released before the other.

'lhe invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters ineach of the views, and in which Bigure 1 is a sectional side view of alifeboat provided with my improved releasing devices, shown inconnection with an ordinary hoisting or lowering tackle, which inpractice is connected with the davits with which steamships and othervessels are provided, said davits being not shown; Fig. 2, a

view similar to l 'ig. 1 of the releasing devices, but showing saidreleasing devices attached and on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 3, asection on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, forming part of this specification, reference beingmade to Fig. 1, I have shown at a an ordinary life-boat or other heat ofthis class, such as is usually carried by steamships and other vessels,and in the practice of my invention I pass upwardly through the hull ofthe boat and through the longitudinal central portion thereof and adjarent to each end thereof a red b. The rods I) pass through the keel ofthe vessel, and also through the stays or brace-bars or similar devicesb arranged transversely of the hull of the boat, and the upper ends ofsaid rods are provided with heads 6 having transverse apertures Z), saidheads 5 being flat in form in the form of construction shown and beingso positioned as to range transversely of the boat, and the rods 1) arealso provided below the heads 6 thereof with flattened and enlargedportions 5 through which'bol-ts'c are passed, and mounted on the bolts-care hooks (1, having jaws (1 through which-the'bolts carealso passed.The hooks d are substantially semicircular inform, the pivoted endsthereof being larger than the free ends, which are tapered, as shown at(i said pivoted ends being adapted to pass through the apertures b intheheads b of the rods 1). r

The convex sides of the hooks d are directed toward each other and areprovided with weights d, which project radially therefrom, and the outersides of the heads b of the rods b are provided with pivotedlatches orlooks 6, adapted to rest in transverse notches or recesses e in theprojecting ends d of the hooks d, and said heads are also provided withkeepers 6 adapted to receive the free ends of said latches when in theiroperative position, as shown in Fig. 3.

The bolts 0 are considerably longer than the combined thickness of theflattened por tion b of the rods 1) and the jaws of" of the hooks d, asshown in Fig. 3, and'said bolts are provided at one end with a head 0and at the opposite end with a nut 0 and mounted on said bolts arepulley-wheels f, which are free to move longitudinally of the bolts cwhen necessary, but which when in their operative position are keyed tosaid bolts, as shown at f and said bolts are also provided with keys 9,which are passed therethrough, and which prevent the longitudinalmovement of the pulley-wheelsf on said bolts.

Mounted in the bottom portion of the boat a inwardly of the rods 1) andat a predetermined distance from each are pulley-wheels g and 7t, andone of the pulley wheels fthat at the left-hand "end of the boat, asshown in the dr awingsis provided with two chains 4, and 4?, which aresecured to the opposite side faces thereof and in the grooves with whichsaid pulley-wheel is provided, and the other pulley-wheel f is providedwith similar chains j and 3' which are secured to the op posite sidefaces thereof and in the groove with which said pulley-wheel isprovided, and the chains j and j are passed around the pulley h in thesame direction, while the chains 'i and t are passed around the pulley gin the same direction. The pulleys g and h are double pulleys or areprovided with separate grooves in which the chains i and i and and j areplaced, and said pulleys, in the form of construction shown, are so madeIIO that one of said grooves in each, or the groove in which the chainsi and 3' are placed, are of less diameter than the other grooves inwhich the chains 41 and j are placed. The

chains 01 and 7' are connected between the pulleys g and h by a rod k,while the chains i and are connected by a rod m; but this connection maybe made by means of chains, if desired.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a part of the tackle carried by steamships andother vessels for lowering boats into the water and for raising saidboats out of water, said part of said tackle comprising blocks n, whichare adapted to be connected with the hooks d by links 17, or similardevices and other blocks 0, which in ractice are suspended from thedavits with which vessels of the class specifled are provided, saiddavits being not shown, and said blocks n and 0 are connected by ropesor cables 10, which are woven therethrough in the usual manner andprovided with end members 19 by means of which the boat may be loweredor raised when desired.

In the operation of my improved boat-releasing devices the hooks d arepassed through the links M, and the pointed ends d thereof are passedthrough the heads b of the rods 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and thelock-latches e are dropped into position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Theboat may now be raised and swung free of the ship and lowered into thewater in the usual manner; but before lowering the boat the lock-latchese are raised and turned backwardly, so that they will not engage thefree ends d of the hooks d, and when the boat strikes the water, theweight of the boat being released from the links m the hooks (1 will beturned downwardly by the weights at, and it will be understood that themovement of one of said hooks operates both by reason of the arrangementof the chains & and i and j and j thereon.

With my construction it will be seen that it is impossible for one ofthe hooks d to drop downwardly without both of said hooks so dropping,and it is therefore impossible for either end of the boat to be releasedseparately from the other, and the dropping of one end of the boatindependently of the other is thus avoided. It will be seen that theshape of the hooks d at the point 0 whereby the links a engagetherewith, is such that as long as the weight of the boat is on saidhooks the said hooks will be held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by thelinks n but as soon as the weight of the boat is removed from the links11* by the boat striking the water the hooks d drop downwardly, ashereinbefore described.

The chain 'i, in the form of construction shown, is provided with aspiral spring 1", the object of which is to prevent the breaking of saidchain and permit the same to yield if too great a strain is thrownthereon at any particular time, and the chain "i is provided with aturn-buckle 1*, by which the length of said chain may be adjusted.

In the foregoing description I have described the chains i and i and jand j as sep arate, the chains i and y' being connected by a rod 7cbetween the pulleys g and h and the chains j and i by a rod m; but itwill be apparent that all of said parts may be composed of a singlechain passed around the pulley-wheels] and around the pulleys g and h,said chain being secured to-said pulleywheels by a suitable pin, nail,or similar device r (shown in Fig. 3,) and the operation of this form ofconstruction will be the same as with that shown in Fig. 2.

The object of making the pulley-wheels f movable longitudinally of thebolts 0 is to facilitate the attachment of the boat to the tackle bywhich it is suspended; but in order to move said wheels longitudinallyof the bolts 0 the key-pins g must be removed, and when the parts are inoperative position the wheels f may be moved back into the positionshown in Figs. 2 and 3, in which position they are locked to the bolts 0and the hooks (Z turned with said bolts.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the rods b formuprights with which the releasing devices are connected, and saiduprights also carry the weight of the boat when suspended by the tacklewith which the ship or vessel is provided, and it will also be apparentthat my improved releasing devices, together with the uprights orsupports 5, may be attached to or connected with any kind or class ofboats carried by ships or vessels of the class specified.

Having fully described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-described boat-releasing device consisting of uprightssecured in the boat, weighted hooks pivoted to said uprights near theupper ends thereof and the points of which are adapted to pass throughapertures formed in the ends of said uprights, means for locking saidhooks in their closed position, pulley-wheels connected with the pivotedportions of said hooks, and flexible devices connected with the oppositeside faces of said pulley-wheels and passing beneath pulleys mounted inthe bottom of the boat and connected between said pulleys, substantiallyas shown and described.

2. The herein-described boat-releasing device consisting of uprightssecured in the boat, weighted hooks pivoted to said u)- rights near theupper ends thereof and t e points of which are adapted to pass throughapertures formed in the ends of said uprights, means for locking saidhooks in their closed position, pulley-wheels connected with the pivotedportions of said hooks, flexible de vices connected with the oppositeside faces of said pulley-wheels and passing beneath pulleys mounted inthe bottom of the boat and connected between said pulleys, andhoisting-tackle provided with blocks having links adapted to engage saidhooks, substantially as shown and described.

3. An apparatus of the class described,

comprising rods or supports adapted to be secured in a boat and providedat their upper ends with apertures, weighted hooks pivoted to said rodsor supports and the free ends of which are adapted to pass through saidapertui es, means for locking said hooks in their closed position,pulley-wheels connected with the pivoted ends of said hooks, andflexible devices connected with the opposite side faces of thepulley-wheels and adapted to be passed around pulleys mounted in thebottom of the boat, substantially as shown and described. e

4. An apparatus of the class described, comprising rods or supportsadapted to be secured in a boat and. provided at their upper ends withapertures, weighted hooks pivoted to said rods or supports and the freeends of which are adapted. to pass through said apertures, means forlocking said hooks in their closed position, pulley-wheels connectedwith the pivoted ends of said hooks, and

flexible devices connected with the opposite side faces of thepulley-wheels and adapted to be passed around pulleys mounted in thebottom of the boat, the connection of the pulley-wheels with the hooksbeing made by means of bolts which are passed through said hooks andthrough the uprights or supports and through said Wheels and on whichsaid wheels are longitudinally movable, and means for locking saidwheels to said bolts,

substantially as shown and described.

5. A boat provided with uprights, weighted hooks pivoted near the upperends of said uprights and the free ends of which are adapted to passthrough apertures in said uprights, the pivotal connection of said hookswith said uprights being made by means of bolts which are passedtherethrough, pulleywheels mounted on said bolts, pulleys mounted in thebottom of said boat, and flexible devices connected with the oppositeside faces of said pulley-wheels and passed around the pulleys in thebottom of the boat, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 13th day ofDecember, 1905.

HARRY G. OLIVER.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, O. J. KLEIN.

